Method of producing building material



v Jan. 9, 1934. N P. HARSHBERGER METHOD OF PRODUCING BUILDING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 20, 1930 i LIE i I v \i I I! a I E H l I f 3 I k y I I l v I INVENTOR.

W/q/W BY I MW .4 TTORNEYS,

Patented Jan. 9, 1934 1,943,258 METHOD OF PRODUCING BUILDING MATERIAL Norman P. Harshberger, Scarsdale, N. Y., ll-

signor to Bakelite Building Products (30., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 20, 1930 Serial No. 483,311

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in method of producing building material, and more particularly to a method of stiffening composition material to provide formed elements for roofing and siding purposes.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing composition building material in which the felt or fabric base is so treated as to render it susceptible of being ironed into various shapes to simulate tiling or other rigid forms of roofing. The present application is to be distinguished from co-pending application Serial Number 443,600 wherein the use of starch for the purpose of accelerating the saturation of the web, is claimed.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide an improved method of producing building material in which the fabric base is treated with a starch-containing liquid or the like to accomplish the above-mentioned object.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method of producing building material which renders the latter simple in construction, inexpensive, attractive in appearance, and well adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved method of producing building material, and all its .parts and combinations, as set forth in the claim, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing, in which the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing an assembly of one type of formed building material;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another shape which it is possible to produce;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of another type of element in flat form; v

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a similar type of element of curved shape; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an assembly of The felt sheet is then dried in a suitable man-.

ner such as by passing it over a heated element. The starch-containing liquid, in penetrating the felt, forms a slippery coating on each fibre thereof, and when asphalt is applied to the felt, this slippery coating aids in carrying the asphalt into all portions of the feltso that the latter is thoroughly penetrated. Before the asphalt coating is applied, however, the material is ironed, preferably with the application of heat, into various rigid shapes such as those shown in the drawing and which will be hereinafter described, the starchy coating serving to maintain the felt in the desired form. The shaped'article is then saturated with asphalt or other bituminous material, and is coated with a similar substance. Next, a granulated mineral material, such as crushed slate, is applied to and embedded in the asphalt in the usual manner. The resulting building material will be found to be rigid, and to maintain its shape indefinitely.

In Fig. 1 a plurality of curved elements 8 is illustrated, said elements having been formed in accordance with the above-mentioned method. The elements 8 may be laid in the manner shown to present an alternating concave and convex appearance, and to simulate the common form of tile roof, the overlapping edges 9 being secured together in any suitable manner..

In Fig. 2, another form of shaped element 10 is illustrated, said element having alternating fiat portions 11 and curved portions 12. A plurality of said elements may be laid with either.

abutting or overlapping edges.

In Fig. 3, still another type of element 13 is shown. This type of element-may be treated with the starch-containing liquid as above explained and ironed into either a rigid flat shape as illustrated or into a curved form as brought out in Fig. 4. When formed fiat, it is preferred to utilize substantially L-shaped locking slits or slots 14 on the outer edges of the lower projecting ends, and other slits 15 on the inner edges thereof.

I When this type of material is laid, the side edges of the elements are overlapped, and the slit 15 of one element is interlocked with the tongue formed by the slit 14 of an adjacent element to form rows of elements, said rows also overlapping. i

When this type of element is ironed into curved form, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the units may also be laid in overlapping rows as shown in Fig. 5

to produce a very attractive type of roofing.

What I claim is:

The methodof producing roofing and siding elements comprising impregnating a fibrous roofing material with a starch containing liquid responsive to heat, and pressure to maintain the material in a desired form, forming the material into curved shapes by the application of heat and pressure, and applying a weather-proofing bltuminous substance to the stiflened material, said substance being capable of continuously with- ;standing outdoor weather conditions.

' NORMAN P. miner-mandate. 

